City of Ideas

Protecting Our Neighbors

TBF has compiled a list of local organizations who you can support in order to respond to this moment and to protect all of our neighbors who call Greater Boston home.

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Press Release

Our Meeting the Moment: Sustaining Families work continues with $1 million in new grants

As the Sustaining Families work enters its third phase, the Boston Foundation, our partners, and our donors have collectively distributed $6.7 million in aid to local families and organizations in less than six months.

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Press Release

Review of early results of MBTA Communities Act finds law has produced “real but modest” gains, but not necessarily near transit

The MBTA Communities Act has resulted in nearly 7,000 units of new housing in the development pipeline across more than 100 projects in Eastern Massachusetts, but the Act's flexibility has had an impact on where and how projects are being sited.

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Press Release

Boston Indicators analysis shows Greater Boston renters face daunting supply challenges in Boston suburbs

A new analysis from Boston Indicators highlights the prevalence of "rental deserts" in Greater Boston - areas where the rental inventory has been constrained by zoning and other restrictions, resulting in higher rents, a lack of supply and reducing racial and economic diversity.

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In the Media

Researchers find MBTA housing law benefits ‘modest’ so far

CommonWealth Beacon shares SHNS coverage of research by Boston Indicators on the early impact of the MBTA Communities law, with nearly 7,000 housing units now in the pipeline across more than 100 projects in 34 eastern MA communities as a direct result of zoning changes adopted under the 2021 law.

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In the Media

Researchers find MBTA housing law benefits ‘modest' so far

With nearly 7,000 housing units now in the pipeline as a direct result of the 2021 MBTA Communities law, a new report by Boston Indicators puts the law’s impacts into the context of the region’s deep housing shortage, as seen in this SHNS share on NBC10 Boston.

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In the Media

Five years later, MBTA Communities Act spurs ‘real but modest’ change, report finds

Five years after the MBTA Communities Act changed the rules around multifamily housing production in the state, GBH reports on new research by Boston Indicators, offering insights from author Amy Dain into the successes and limitations of the law to address the state’s ongoing housing crisis.

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In the Media

MBTA Communities Law’s Upshot: Smaller Projects, Far from Stations

Banker & Tradesman provides a summary of Boston Indicators' report analyzing the early impact of the MBTA Communities Act, with key takeaways that the law has added nearly 7,000 housing units to the pipeline though just 57 percent of the homes proposed or under construction are located within a mile of a train station.

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Report

An Early Look at the MBTA Communities Permitting Pipeline

A Boston Indicators analysis finds that Greater Boston is seeing real but modest benefits from the MBTA Communities Act, with nearly 7,000 units of new housing in the pipeline - but only a third near transit.

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Report

Forward Together: The 2025 Annual Report

As Greater Boston’s community foundation, we are undeterred from our commitment to bring people and resources together to build a thriving and equitable future for our region. Forward Together, TBF's 2025 Annual Report, reflects what's possible when we move forward together and highlights how our collective work comes to life.

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Report

Here Today, Here Tomorrow: CDC Acquisition of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing

Published with TBF support, this report from the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations looks at how community organizations across Massachusetts are working to preserve "naturally occurring affordable housing" in places across the region.

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Report

A New Path to Homeownership: Early Findings from the ONE+ Mortgage Program

In data and interviews, Kelly Harrington and the team from Boston Indicators highlight the success of the first year on the ONE+ Program, which provided financial assistance to over 200 low-and moderate-income first-time homebuyers across Massachusetts.

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